To "levy criticism" or to "level criticism?"

Question

In a recent NY Times article the reporter writes, "Criticisms are also levied at Jews...".  I have always heard the idiom as "to level criticism" or to "level charges" against.

Which is the proper expression? Or do they both make sense?

Fattie · Accepted Answer

It's just "levelled" or "level"

"level" simply means "aim" (as in, aim a gun). It's verb definition 4 in the OED

4 [ with obj. ] aim (a weapon): he levelled a pistol at us.
  • direct (a criticism or accusation): accusations of corruption had been levelled against him.

This really ignorant mistake in the "New York Times" (which used to be a "newspaper of record") helps us remember an important fact about language in the English-speaking world of today:

Standards are incredibly low.

It's common to find on this site, questions about something which is actually just a complete editing screw-up by a major publication -- such as the example here.

fdb · Answer

Ignorant though it might be, the use of "levy" to mean "level" has a long pedigree. The above-cited OED has this as meaning no. 7:

Wrongly used for level v.1

1618   N. Breton Court & Country (Grosart) 6/1   Winking with one eye, as though hee were leuying at a Woodcocke.

a1635   T. Randolph De Histrice in Two Poems (1638) 26   Fam'd Stymphall, I have heard, thy birds in flight Shoot showers of arrowes forth all levied right.

Dan O · Answer

Either "levied against" once was the preferred form, or typesetters of old made this setto(?) habitually.

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=leveled+against%2Clevied+against&year_start=1800

To "levy criticism" or to "level criticism?"

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